The seventh-ranked Georgia men’s tennis team will put its eight-match win streak on the line Friday night in College Station, Texas against No. 10 Texas A& M at the Mitchell Tennis Center. Following their match in Texas, the Bulldogs will face LSU in Baton Rouge on Sunday afternoon at two p.m. ET.

 

The battle of two top-10 teams on Friday features squads vying for the top spot in the SEC standings. Georgia, which was picked as the preseason favorite in the league, faces a Texas A&M team that was selected third in the preseason poll. The Bulldogs are currently 6-0 in SEC play while the Aggies are 5-2.

 

Georgia is 5-2 all-time against the Aggies (20-6, 5-2). The Bulldogs defeated Texas A&M 4-1 least season in Athens. UGA is 47-14 all-time against the Tigers (10-8, 2-5) after taking last season’s matchup, 4-2.

 

EIGHT-STRAIGHT WINS FOR GEORGIA: Georgia defeated Tennessee and No. 18 Kentucky last weekend to extend it current win streak to eight matches. The Bulldogs have downed six ranked teams in the stretch, highlighted by a 4-2 victory against No. 4 Ohio State on March 20.

 

DAWGS ON TOP OF SEC STANDINGS: The Bulldogs sit atop the SEC standings following their perfect 6-0 start to conference play. Georgia remains the only team in the SEC that has yet to lose a conference match. UGA is 4-0 at home in conference matches and 2-0 on the road. The Bulldogs are in search of their 39th Southeastern Conference title.

 

UNDERCLASSMEN SHINE FOR GEORGIA: The Bulldogs’ current lineup features a strong group of underclassmen. Four of Georgia’s six singles players are either freshmen or sophomores while the Bulldogs’ current doubles lineup features a pair of freshman/sophomore duos in Paul Oosterbaan and Jan Zielinski as well as the Wayne Montgomery/Emil Reinberg pair. The Bulldog freshman trio of Walker Duncan, Zielinski and Reinberg are 13-1 in singles play vs. SEC opponents.

 

MONTGOMERY HONORED FOR BIG WEEKEND: Sophomore Wayne Montgomery was honored as SEC Player of the Week on March 23 after leading the Bulldogs to a pair of ranked wins, including a victory over #4 Ohio State. The Somerset West, South Africa native went 2-0 in singles matches, with one win coming against No. 24 Hugo Di Feo of Ohio State.

 

RANKINGS: Highlighting Georgia’s rankings is the doubles team of freshman Jan Zielinski and redshirt sophomore Paul Oosterbaan, who moved to No. 58 in the latest poll after being unranked in previous weeks. Teammates Ben Wagland and Austin Smith maintained their No. 5 spot in the doubles rankings. The Bulldog duo currently boasts a 12-3 record in dual match play this season. Georgia moved up to No. 7 overall following its wins against Tennessee and Kentucky.

 

The latest singles rankings featured three Georgia players as sophomore Wayne Montgomery, leads the Bulldogs with a No. 34 national ranking. Smith is at No. 35 while freshman Walker Duncan comes in at No. 120.

 

SMITH & OOSTERBAAN EARN RECOGNITION: Senior Austin Smith and redshirt sophomore Paul Oosterbaan both earned SEC Athlete of the Week honors earlier this season. Smith’s honor came on Jan. 27 after going 2-0 in singles and 2-0 in doubles as he helped Georgia punch its ticket to the ITA National Indoor Championships. Oosterbaan picked up the recognition on March 9 after leading Georgia to a 2-0 start in SEC play.

 

UP NEXT: The Bulldogs return home for a pair of matches at the Dan Magill Tennis Complex. Georgia hosts rival Florida on Friday at five p.m. ET before rounding out the weekend with Auburn on Sunday at one p.m. ET.